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If you want to do San Francisco in one day...you gotta know people. People who know just what to do, how to get there, and with a place to stay with the most beautiful view of the city but away from the crowds to just chill after a full day of sightseeing. Fortunately, we know people. Christina and Gregg are our people. Best tour guides and the bay area. As we entered the bay area from the north to meet them in their home in Tiburon, chic little village across the bay from SF, Gregg met us with multiple options of where we could park our trailer for our two-night stay. Then, we were treated to grilled steak dinner on the deck overlooking the bay. Well fed and rested, we were ready for our day in the city by the bay. Best way into the city was the ferry from Tiburon to Fisherman's Wharf. No traffic and breathtaking views as we cruised by the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. We told the kids that they might end up there if they didn't behave! Anna and Megan tried some ferry surfing while CJ and Kyle snapped some amazing photos. We had not put our feet on terra firma for more than a few minutes before Anna found the Ghiradelli sign...chocolate! Anna has a nose for sniffing out chocolate. It came in handy later that day. Our guides brought us to the only way to see the streets of San Francisco...by cable car. Check out the video to see this wild ride. Despite the fact that all the kids were hanging off the sides of the car as we whizzed up and down the hills, we all arrived safely at the Cable Car museum to see how this miraculous mode of transportation actually works. Then after a stroll through Chinatown we found an Italian place for calzones in North Beach. Yum! And since we weren't driving, we enjoyed some sangria and margaritas. The adults just had strawberry lemonade. After lunch we put Anna's nose to the test as she found her way to the little known upper entrance to Ghiradelli Square where we ordered some scrumptious desserts with the famous chocolate. Baileys split the Crissy Field Sundae complete with cookie dough ice cream topped with chocolate sauce, crumbled chocolate chip cookies and chocolate squares...all made with the yummy Ghiradelli chocolate. We had to text our expert in Italian pronunciation to know just how to say the name of the chocolate, and our source (Marc Girolimetti) tells us it is "jeer-a-deli" not "gear-a-deli." Having started our trip in Hershey, PA, we could not help but compare east coast to west cost chocolates. Anna declares Hershey the winner, but CJ goes with Ghiradelli. Heading back to Fisherman's Wharf we found ourselves in a carnival-like environment with street performers and fancy cars and lowriders parading down the strip. Not only did we stop to see one of the breakdancing performances, Gregg was pulled in to participate! No, not to breakdance, but to serve as one of the "three white guys" over whom one dancer would do an aerial somersault. Then it was off to pier 39 to say hi to the sea lions before we board the ferry back to Tiburon. Just when we thought the surprises of the day were done, we get a text from our friends from Concord, the Thorps, who were driving down from Vancouver and happen to be passing right by Gregg and Christina's en route to San Francisco. What a treat when serendipitous timing works out like that. With the great weather, the amazing views and the fun we had in the city, we now understand why Gregg decided to stay out here to live! OK, maybe Christina had something to do with it, too! Thank you both for a great stay by the bay!
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